Makhana (Eurayle ferox Salibs.): A high-valued aquatic food crop with emphasis on its agronomic management - a review

Abstract

Makhana (Euryle ferox Salisb.) or foxnut is an aquatic food crop, which is normally grown in ponds. The importance of this crop is increasing day-by-day due to its high carbohydrate and protein, and low fat content, and also due to its religious offerings. The cultivation of Makhana involves a lot of drudgery as all the operations like sowing, interculture, harvesting and processing are done manually. This paper explores the agronomic management techniques of Makhana in relation to environmental system from its cultivation to post-processing practices. Due to its unique biological, physiological and agronomic traits, Makhana is able to exploit small as well as marginal pond owners to be included in low-input cropping systems, representing an alternative viable aquatic food crop for sustainable agriculture in rural India. Nevertheless this great potential and the considerable increase in new generation consumer demand for Makhana as ready to eat food, the future of the crop is still uncertain. Indeed, the main obstacles to Makhana production are: (1) the limited areas of cultivation where it is traditionally grown, (2) lack of quality breeder seeds, (3) lack of knowledge on management practices and limited resources, and (4) very high price. The present review highlights the immense potentiality of Makhana as a food crop to explore aquatic resources and need of extending the research towards a sustainable system by integrating it with field crops and marine life i.e. aquaculture with agriculture.